Wireless communication networks typically include wireless communication devices which, via a wireless communication system, communicate with further communication networks and equipment. The wireless communication system typically includes antennas, base stations, wireless access nodes, and other associated equipment to route communications over wireless links from the wireless communication devices to further communication networks, equipment, and destinations. Each wireless communication device typically exchanges communications with one wireless access node at a time, while many wireless communication devices can be in communication with the same access node simultaneously.
The wireless communication system typically employs various communication protocols to facilitate communication over wireless links with wireless communication devices. These communication protocols many times include features to ensure reliable communications as well as share the wireless links among many wireless communication devices simultaneously. In order to support the many wireless communication devices communicating with the wireless communication system simultaneously, some of the various communication protocols employ spread spectrum features.
These spread spectrum features are typically used to spread the energy of communications over a large portion of the available bandwidth of the wireless link in an effort to minimize interference, jamming, detection, and crosstalk among the possibly many wireless communication devices. These spread spectrum protocols also employ a spreading code to determine how to spread the energy across the available bandwidth. This spreading code typically comprises a random or pseudo-random sequence to spread the RF energy in a similarly random or pseudo-random fashion.